Los Angeles, CA – The Mendez family and their attorney Arnold Casillas held a press conference, Jan. 11, to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit for the Feb. 6, 2016 killing of their 16-year-old son Jose Mendez by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Juan Mendez spoke of his murdered son Jose, saying that he loved soccer and hamburgers. Juan Mendez displayed an urn with the ashes of Jose saying, “This is all I have left of my son. I want justice – these police who assassinated my son must go to jail.”
St. Paul, MN – More than 50 people gathered in below freezing temperatures for more than an hour Jan. 14, in front of a Saint Paul Police Station, for a memorial balloon release for Marcus Golden. On Jan. 14, 2015, Golden was executed, shot in the back of his head, by Saint Paul Police Officers Jeremy Doverspike and Dan Peck. Golden was unarmed, but SPPD's Detective Shelia Lambie used a search warrant to retrieve a gun legally owned by Golden from his residence. This is why it took SPPD approximately 11 hours after Golden was wrongfully killed, to ‘confirm’ Golden was armed.
Minneapolis, MN – On Jan. 20 students will be walking out of class at the University of Minnesota and Augsburg College to protest the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump as a part of the citywide Resist from Day One Coalition’s call to action. UMN Students will rally at 1 p.m. in the front plaza of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs before marching to meet up with the city-wide Resist from Day One Coalition Mega March (FFI: https://resistfromday1mn.wordpress.com/)
New York, NY – Activists gathered near Union Square, Jan. 13 at 5:30 p.m. to help launch the international campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners.
Two protests will be taking place here on Jan. 20.. The first is the Inauguration Day Student Walkout being organized by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). The walkout will be at the University of South Florida’s Cooper Hall at 1 p.m. This event is part of a national call for walkouts that are occurring across 23 cities.
Tallahassee, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Florida State University (FSU) is calling for students to walk out of class at noon, Jan. 20, to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump. The students will rally on Landis Green, to be followed by a march to the Florida State Capitol Building.
At 1:30 a.m. in Turkey on the New Year night, an ISIS terrorist, or terrorists killed 39 people, and 65 people were injured in Reina nightclub, which is a well-known night club in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish security forces were not able to catch perpetrator(s) when this article was being written. Plus, we don’t still know who they are, or he is. Although we know that killer or killers will be arrested, or not, it is not going to bring our lost people back.
Georgia January 20 Coalition demands Atlanta declare itself a sanctuary city
On Jan. 20, the Georgia January 20 coalition will hold a People’s Inauguration, demanding that the City of Atlanta declare itself a sanctuary city by addressing a list of demands to protect the human rights of our communities. The coalition will gather at 11 a.m. for a march starting from the Troy Davis Park.
Students and activists in Houston are organizing two major actions against the inauguration of Donald Trump. On Thursday, Jan. 19, students at the University of Houston are organizing a walkout. They have created a petition, which demands that the university defend students of color and undocumented students against attacks from the new Trump administration. The students will be walking out at 10 a.m. and hold a rally in front of the library afterwards.
Students for a Democratic Society of the University of Utah (U of U) is preparing to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20. The protest will be held at the Wallace Federal Building on State Street and 1st South, at 7 p.m., followed by a march to the Utah State Capitol building.
Two of the young African American activists who helped disrupt the Jeff Sessions confirmation hearing Jan. 10 talked to Fight Back! about the action that gained worldwide attention.
Republicans in Congress have already voted to cut the taxes that pay for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Up to now these tax cuts have been vetoed by President Obama. But with the inauguration of Donald Trump, Republicans in the Senate and House will be free to cut ACA taxes and give hundreds of billions of dollars to the richest Americans.
Minneapolis, MN – A broad coalition of more than 40 organizations will join together in the streets of Minneapolis on inauguration day, Jan. 20, to resist the Trump administration’s agenda. There will also be massive protests at the inauguration in Washington D.C. and in cities around the country.
St. Paul, MN – “We are here today on opening day of the legislature to let the politicians know this is the day of reckoning for the poor! This is day of reckoning for the children! This is the day of reckoning for the homeless!” declared Angella Khan as she read the opening statement at the Welfare Rights Committee’s protest at the Minnesota state capitol, here, Jan. 3.
Editor’s note: Fight Back! Is publishing the following commentary by Ekim Kilic that includes a wealth of information on the role of Turkey in Syria, which will be of interest to many readers. Given the rapid developments in Syria after the liberation of Alleppo from Western-backed sectarian forces, Fight Back! will have more coverage and commentary on the situation in upcoming weeks.
Minneapolis, MN – On Jan. 3, the opening day of Minnesota’s legislative session, the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) will hold a ‘Day of Reckoning’ protest to demand that politicians end their war on the poor. After a short noon outdoor rally at the state capitol building, low-income people and their supporters will march in formation to every legislator’s office to send a message.
One of the first things that Donald Trump said that he would do as president is repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as Obamacare. The ACA has dramatically reduced the number of Americans without health insurance, from more than 41 million in 2013 to less than 29 million two years later, a drop of 13 million people. A repeal of the ACA would increase the number of uninsured by 20 million people, so the that number of uninsured would rise to record levels.
